Posted tagged ‘nursing squirrel’

Long-time readers may recall my quest to find one of New York City’s black squirrels, and my thrill when I finally came across a black squirrel in Washington Square Park. Since that day, I now see the Washington Square black squirrels pretty much every time I head down that way.

Looking north, as I head east on W. 4th Street across Sixth Avenue.

Walking east on West 4th Street, I usually find the squirrels foraging alongside their gray relatives in a narrow strip of green that runs next to the sidewalk.

Last Thursday, I spotted this small, extremely active fellow.

He was rarely still, so it was hard to get a photograph that is not a blur of motion. Nearby, a large gray squirrel dug beneath a fallen leaf for something tasty. (Look at those pink ears.)

On the northern edge of the strip, another nervous little black squirrel appeared.

And then I noticed, at the easternmost part of the green, a bulky bear of a black squirrel. I mean, this was one big squirrel.

When the squirrel sat up on its haunches, I saw right away that she was probably a nursing mother, or had just weaned a litter.

Big Mama sat up a long time.

Then she foraged under a nearby leaf.

She found a nut, and sat up to eat.

I left her to her dinner. Nearby a lovely gray squirrel struck a pose.